The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia is horrified at the statement attributed to Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) Lusaka Province Chairperson William Banda, in which he is reported to have vowed to “fight” and “defeat” the Post newspaper

Mr Banda said he would fight the Post Newspaper for allegedly insulting President Rupiah Banda, Vice-President George Kunda, and a number of cabinet ministers.

MISA Zambia Chairperson Henry Kabwe said Banda’s statement is shocking because of its harsh tone, which he described as a Tantamount to a declaration of “All Out War” against The Post newspaper.

Mr Kabwe said the statement is an incitement to violence against The Post newspaper and its staff.

He appealed to MMD leadership to immediately check the excesses of Mr. William Banda who he described as ‘a senior cadre with a reputation of thuggish behaviour dating back to his days as Lusaka District Governor under the former ruling party, UNIP’.

Mr Kabwe also reminded Mr. William Banda that the days of UNIP’s style of vigilantism ended with the abolition of one party rule in 1990.

He urged Mr Banda to check his calendar again and realise that this is the year 2010 and not 1990, when UNIP was desperately fighting the tide of political change, and that Mr. Banda was in the forefront of defending UNIP,s desperate hold on power.

He said Zambia is now in the 21st Century and not the 20th Century, where Mr Banda cut his teeth in politics and was well schooled in using violence to crush political opponents, including the media.
[pullquote]He urged Mr Banda to check his calendar again and realise that this is the year 2010 and not 1990, when UNIP was desperately fighting the tide of political change, and that Mr. Banda was in the forefront of defending UNIP,s desperate hold on power.[/pullquote]

Mr Kabwe said such tactics are not acceptable in a multiparty democracy like Zambia is today, and has been for the last 20 years since former president Dr. Kenneth Kaunda abolished one-party rule.

Mr. Kabwe reiterated that President Rupiah Banda should counsel Banda and urge him to change his old fashioned ways, because they are tarnishing the image of the country as an oasis of peace, political tolerance, and freedom of the press.
[ QFM ]

A nationwide power blackout on Friday forced copper mines in Zambia, Africa’s top producer of the metal, to halt output, but the country’s energy minister said electricity supply could resume later in the day.

A fault at a hydro power station triggered the first national blackout to engulf the southern African nation since June 2009, which cost copper producers millions of dollars in lost revenue and dented their copper output. [ID:nLG31563]

Power blackouts are frequent in Zambia, and have been a big concern for the chamber of mines and for foreign mining companies who own most of the key mines in the country’s copperbelt province.

“Power has been restored in Lusaka and we are now moving on to restore power on the Copperbelt,” Energy Minister Kenneth Konga told Reuters.

It was not immediately clear how much production was affected. Maxwell Mwale, Zambia’s mines minister, said he would give a detailed comment on the power blackout’s impact later.

“Production at the mines is affected …I am yet to receive a full report from the minister of energy,” Mwale told Reuters.

An official at Zambia’s biggest copper producer, Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) — majority owned by London-listed Vedanta Resources Plc (VED.L: Quote) — said its operations had been affected, but the group would issue a detailed statement later in the day.

Sydney Chileya, a spokesman for the Luanshya Copper Mines, owned by China Non-Ferrous Metals Corp. (CNMC), said only limited power supply was available.

Frequent power stoppages are likely to affect Zambia’s plans to increase its copper production to 1 million tonnes next year, from just below 700,000 tonnes in 2009, analysts said.

The country has been trying to entice new investors to the sector as demand for the metal increases.

“It also sends wrong signals to investors on availability of energy despite assurances by the government,” Chibamba Kanyama, a member of country’s main economic think-tank, the Economics Association of Zambia, said.

Foreign mining companies operating in Zambia include Canada’s First Quantum Minerals (FM.TO: Quote), London-listed Vedanta Resources Plc (VED.L: Quote), Equinox Minerals EQN.TO)(EQN.AX: Quote), Glencore International AG [GLEN.UL] of Switzerland and Metorex (MTXJ.J: Quote) of South Africa.

PRICES

Copper prices appeared unaffected by news of the blackout, remaining at a one-week low on Friday as investors overlooked increased risk appetite in the wider markets and remained concerned about demand prospects after weak data from the U.S., the world’s largest economy. [ID:nLDE6370XM]

Lucy Zimba, a spokeswoman for electricity utility Zesco, said the cause was due to a fault on a circuit breaker at the country’s Kariba North Bank hydro station, which set off a chain reaction that led to the countrywide blackout.

Zimba said power supply had been restored to parts of the capital Lusaka, and supply to copper mines would follow.

“The blackout was caused by a fault on a circuit breaker at Kariba North Bank (hydro power plant). We are working on the problem to restore power in Lusaka, after which we will try to switch on the Copperbelt lines,” Zimba told Reuters.

The Copperbelt Energy Corp. (CEC), which buys the electricity from Zesco to supply Zambia’s copper mines, said it would try to provide power to the mines for emergency operations through imports from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Zesco has said it needs higher tariffs and additional funds to invest in new generating and transmission infrastructure, and the country has said it plans to invest about $6 billion in the next five years to meet its projected energy needs. (Writing by James Macharia; editing by Sue Thomas)
[Reuters]

State advocate Dennis Simwinga told judge Evans Hamaundu sitting with judges Eddie Sikazwe and Catherine Makungu the only evidence the State had was that the property in question was addressed to State House.

This is in a case in which Regina has appealed against conviction and sentence slapped on her by a magistrate’s court on five counts of failing to explain possession of property suspected to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained.

On the television set that was suspected to have been stolen, Mr Simwinga said it was proved that it belonged to the State because it was addressed to Dr Chiluba on a State House address as head of State.

When asked by Judge Makungu if there was any other proof to show it was State property, he said there was no such evidence except that it was consigned to State House.

When the matter came up yesterday, Mr Simwinga told the court that Regina had given several statements on how she acquired the properties in question.

But the court objected when Mr Simwinga said that Regina had told investigators that she used the money given to her as gifts by Dr Chiluba when buying the properties in question.

At this point Judge Hamaundu questioned Mr Simwinga whether what he was saying was part of the case record in the magistrate’s court to which he denied and only said it was Regina who told the investigators.

“That is hear-say unless that was part of the case record. You can only proceed in that manner if what you are saying was admitted in the trial,” he said.

Mr Simwinga dropped his line of submission and went on to say Regina’s explanation on her possession of the properties did not satisfy the investigators.

But Judge Hamaundu questioned how Regina could be asked to account for the properties to investigating officers instead of the court.

The judge wondered how the prosecution could take Regina to court on the charge of failing to account for property but Mr Simwinga explained that the drafting of the charges was based on a Supreme Court ruling, which said a charge should be properly formatted.

Mr Simwinga, however, said the trial court was on firm ground to hold that Regina’s explanation was not satisfactory because she had given three different versions on how she came in possession of the properties.

He said while Regina had said she got a US$60,000 loan, Nchelenge MP Ben Mwila said that he lent her US$100,000.

He also denied there was duplicity of charges that were slapped on Regina and that after amendments were made, the defence did not object.

Deputy State Chief Advocate Rose Nkhuzwayo said there was no way Regina could have raised more than K1 billion from her businesses to enable her buy the properties.

Ms Nkhuzwayo said there was no evidence to prove Regina was a top businessperson on the Copperbelt and that the trial court was in order to convict her.

She said the State would leave the issue of sentencing to the court.

Judgment has been set for August 30 this year.
[ Times of Zambia ]

The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has arrested opposition Patriotic Front Ndola Central Member of Parliament Mark Mushili for alleged money laundering involving over six billion Kwacha.

DEC Spokesperson John Nyawali, who confirmed the arrest of Mr. Mushili, said the parliamentarian aged 61, a resident of Doctor Damme Street, kansenshi in Ndola, was arrested for siphoning fuel worth two billion Kwacha from TAZAMA Pipeline Limited by false pretences using Anegi Oils Limited.

Mr. Nyawali said the parliamentarian has been arrested for fraudulent activities in Anegi Oils involving four billion kwacha and theft of twenty million kwacha from Anegi Oils Limited.

The opposition Member of Parliament has received his arrest as political persecution.

Speaking to his PF sympathizers a minute after he was ordered to remove shoes and switch off his mobile phone at Ndola Central Police, Mr. Mushili cautioned all opposition politicians to be wary of political persecution.
[ MUv TV ]